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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — a container
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — a contest
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. race — humankind
  10. sharp — clever
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cell — in biology
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cell — a phone
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — of your body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chest — a box
  24. calf — a young animal

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