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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. field — for sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. march — music

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