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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. present — there
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — rain
  6. track — a path
  7. branch — a division
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. track — to keep track
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — a song
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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