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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cold — an illness
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. craft — a skill
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. root — the cause
  17. craft — boats
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. root — of a plant
  24. calf — of the leg

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