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 · row · squash · bear · bore · pitcher · degree · spell

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — the animal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. row — a line
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. degree — from a university
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. squash — the vegetable

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