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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — completely
  19. firm — steady
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. firm — a company
  24. bat — for baseball

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