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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — a match
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — to cut
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — wild animals
  23. season — in sport
  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