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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — to rip
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. squash — the sport

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