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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. court — of a king
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — a gift
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. present — there
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. present — the time now
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. squash — to crush

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