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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cue — for pool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bound — obliged
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — for catching
  12. spring — a coil
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — of water
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a hint
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. net — in sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — the season
  24. kid — child

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