ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — the cause
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. last — finally
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — a match
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — all right
  23. last — final
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com