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 116 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — a video
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. clip — to cut
  7. club — a group
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spring — the season
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spring — of water
  22. bat — the animal
  23. club — for dancing
  24. calf — of the leg

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