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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — electricity
  7. roll — a list
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — shares
  10. date — the fruit
  11. charge — a price
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. charge — in control
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — certain
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — goods

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