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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — for catching
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pop — to visit
  13. net — in sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. net — after costs
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — to be able to

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