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: pitcher · perch · net · face · bound · calf · content · root

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. root — of a plant
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — the cause
  18. bound — tied together
  19. face — part of the head
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — of a word

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