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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cold — not warm
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — a list
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cold — an illness
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — music

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