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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a partner
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — part of the body

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