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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — a phone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fall — the season
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. staff — employees
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pop — music

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