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 · calf · season · root · kick · present · hand · date

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — of a word
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. season — of the year
  8. present — there
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. kick — in football
  17. root — of a plant
  18. present — a gift
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. present — the time now
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — wild animals
  23. season — in sport
  24. date — the fruit

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