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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. court — of a king
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cap — a hat
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — of law
  23. row — a line
  24. drill — army training

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