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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. race — humankind
  3. ground — a position
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — farmland
  14. bulb — for light
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — a contest

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