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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — not warm
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — after costs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. net — for catching
  16. degree — from a university
  17. squash — the sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitcher — a jug

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