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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. club — for golf
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — a position
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. club — a group
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a path
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bat — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — to keep track

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