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 120 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: calf · current · shower · spring · cold · bowl · kick · arm

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cold — an illness
  6. spring — of water
  7. shower — rain
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spring — a coil
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. current — happening now
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. current — of water

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