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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — in music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — in football
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — rain

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