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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — of water
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — hurry
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. spring — the season
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. craft — a handicraft

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