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: nail · rush · net · field · bat · fall · shower · calf

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bat — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — farmland
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. nail — for a hammer

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