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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — obliged
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — a position
  8. bound — certain
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — tied together
  13. scale — in music
  14. rock — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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