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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rush — hurry
  3. root — the cause
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wax — to grow
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fan — a supporter

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