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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fork — in a road
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. foot — a measure
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — child
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. file — a line of people
  24. roll — a cake

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