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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. snap — to click
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stem — to come from
  22. net — for catching
  23. sharp — clever
  24. calf — a young animal

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