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: fork · cold · prune · pass · mate · wake · ball · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wake — a trail
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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