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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. game — wild animals
  9. season — of the year
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  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