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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hand — help
  3. club — for dancing
  4. board — to get on
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — child
  7. spell — magic
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spell — letters
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hand — in cards
  13. club — a group
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — a short time
  16. club — for golf
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a committee
  24. mark — a grade

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