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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. object — an aim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — for paper
  16. object — to protest
  17. fall — the season
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — a thing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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