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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — in football
  5. ball — a dance
  6. row — a line
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rest — a break
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ground — a position
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — the earth
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — a subject

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