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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a ring
  5. game — wild animals
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mine — for digging
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cold — an illness
  17. game — a match
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. safe — a strongbox
  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