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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — wild animals
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. craft — boats
  10. face — part of the head
  11. capital — money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a match
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — a city
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bass — low music
  19. face — to confront
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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