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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. capital — money
  13. present — the time now
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. present — there
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. capital — a city
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — a gift

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