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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. club — a group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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