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 · pitch · tube · ruler · chest · spell · bat · drill

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. spell — letters
  2. pitch — completely
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — the underground
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. drill — army training
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chest — a box
  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