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: hand · last · calf · bear · pitch · fork · wound · spring

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — in a road
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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