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 · bear · chip · bat · cap · bass · hand · band

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a music group
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cap — a hat

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