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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cold — an illness
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — of your body
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chest — a box
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. foot — a measure
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fall — the season
  24. bat — the animal

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