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 116 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: club · perch · press · cold · board · root · calf · cue

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. press — to push
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — for dancing
  8. board — a committee
  9. cold — not warm
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. club — for golf
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — newspapers
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. press — a publisher
  22. club — a group
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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