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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. face — part of the head
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. club — for golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. pitch — completely
  23. face — to point toward
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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