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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. court — of law
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of a king
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — for sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pitcher — a jug

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