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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — army training
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. net — after costs
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — for catching
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — certain
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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