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: present · drill · saw · land · shower · calf · game · chip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — a country
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — the tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. shower — rain
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. chip — to eat
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. land — to come down
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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