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: pound · press · sharp · capital · wake · calf · bat · rash

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. press — to push
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rash — hasty
  13. sharp — clever
  14. capital — a city
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. press — a publisher

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