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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — for golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — after costs
  11. pit — a hole
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. swing — to play on

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