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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tube — a container
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — the underground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cold — an illness
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. suit — to fit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — a video

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