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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. net — for catching
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — for sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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