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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — low music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. shower — rain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — happy
  24. nail — for a hammer

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