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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cold — an illness
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. key — in music
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — a weight

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