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 124 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. game — a match
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. last — finally
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — to go on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cap — a lid
  19. last — final
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — wild animals
  24. sharp — clever

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