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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — a division
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hand — in cards
  19. content — happy
  20. present — a gift
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — clever

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