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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — for golf
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — a group
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a friend
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mate — a partner
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. root — the cause
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. leaves — to go away

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