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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · hide · band · calf · content · nail

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a music group
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. calf — a young animal

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