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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bound — obliged
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — to wash
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kid — child
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kid — to tease
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. shower — rain
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — a leader

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