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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — the fish
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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