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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — to visit
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pop — music
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pop — soda
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — a coil
  23. branch — a division
  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