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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kick — in football
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. race — a contest
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — a thing
  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