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 · rule · calf · chest · saw · jam · perch · bat

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — the fish
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. fork — in a road
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chest — of your body

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