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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. net — after costs
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — for catching
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

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