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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chest — a box
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. present — there
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — a gift
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — final
  24. hand — help

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