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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — to keep track
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a path
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. swing — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — after costs
  20. track — a song
  21. chip — for betting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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