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: calf · rash · ball · deal · roll · tear · clip · bass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ball — a dance
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. tear — to rip
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ball — a great time
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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