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 116 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — after costs
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rock — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hand — help
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — with an edge

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