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: game · land · ruler · calf · toast · clip · kid · fine

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — to come down
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — all right
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. toast — bread

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