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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. shower — rain
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — to paddle
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. track — a path
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. foot — a measure
  24. calf — a young animal

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