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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bound — obliged
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — a measure
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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