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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a hat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. game — wild animals
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cap — a lid
  15. tear — to rip
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a match
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bark — of a tree

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