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: season · cold · wax · cell · rule · calf · pitch · toast

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cold — an illness
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — in biology
  24. toast — bread

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