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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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. last — final
  4. object — an aim
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a document
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. object — to protest
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pop — music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — a thing
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fork — a garden tool

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