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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. club — for dancing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. club — a group
  15. hand — help
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. face — to confront
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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