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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — obliged
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — a box
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — a division
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. nail — for a hammer

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