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: bore · kid · calf · cold · land · fall · bowl · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. land — a country
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. kid — child
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. bore — to drill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cold — not warm
  23. kid — to tease
  24. calf — of the leg

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