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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cue — a signal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. present — there
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. dip — to sink
  9. court — for sport
  10. field — for sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — a hint
  13. court — of law
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spell — a short time
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — magic
  23. cap — a hat
  24. present — the time now

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