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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — ground
  13. bore — to tire
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — to come down
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. land — a country
  23. bore — to drill
  24. plane — a tool

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