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: wave · swing · march · kid · calf · pitcher · wind · rule

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rule — a law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. swing — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — in golf
  17. march — the month
  18. kid — to tease
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kid — child
  24. rule — government

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