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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a great time
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. ball — a dance
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — to go on
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. calf — of the leg

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