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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. roll — a cake
  10. season — in sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. hand — help
  17. land — a country
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. plane — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — the earth
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ground — crushed

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