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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — for betting
  9. track — a path
  10. saw — the tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a line
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. root — of a word
  23. chip — to eat
  24. row — a quarrel

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