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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lean — thin
  5. toast — bread
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lean — to bend
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. chest — a box
  24. lean — to rest against

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