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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. firm — decided
  5. deal — to handle
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — steady
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. firm — a company
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spell — a short time
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spell — letters
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spell — magic

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