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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. content — happy
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — thin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chair — a leader
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lean — to bend
  23. content — the amount
  24. calf — of the leg

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