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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — clever
  16. roll — a list
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. row — a line
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lash — an eyelash

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