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: object · kid · land · calf · net · bat · season · tube

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tube — the underground
  3. net — after costs
  4. land — a country
  5. net — in sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. object — an aim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — to protest
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — a container
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. object — a thing
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — ground

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