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: saw · roll · bowl · calf · degree · last · march · file

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. roll — a list
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. roll — a cake
  11. degree — an amount
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a document
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — music
  24. roll — on a roll

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