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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pop — to visit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — magic
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — in sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — of the year

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