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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rock — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — of a king
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — of law
  24. stem — of a plant

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