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: kid · calf · stem · mate · chip · perch · wind · plane

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — for betting
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — the fish
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mate — to breed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — in a computer

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