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: calf · pitcher · trunk · straw · sharp · date · deal · shower

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. sharp — clever
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. date — the fruit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a car

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