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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. land — to come down
  11. spring — the season
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. land — a country
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. land — ground

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