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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bound — tied together
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — to paddle
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. row — a line

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