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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. court — of law
  9. pound — a weight
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. last — final
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — soda
  22. court — for sport
  23. pop — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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