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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. net — for catching
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — a committee
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. hand — help
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. net — after costs
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. board — to get on
  19. clip — a video
  20. chest — a box
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. net — in sport
  24. snap — to click

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