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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. row — a line
  5. kid — child
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cap — a hat

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