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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. court — of law
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — the tool
  18. present — there
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bark — to shout
  22. last — to go on
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. last — final

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