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: file · stem · toast · dip · game · cold · calf · wax

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — a match
  16. stem — to come from
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cold — not warm
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cold — an illness

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