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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — of the year
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. clip — for paper
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. bark — to shout
  18. clip — a video
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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