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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. kick — in football
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — of ice
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — a hole
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — a match
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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