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: bat · pop · race · racket · march · nail · calf · leaves

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pop — to visit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — the month
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pop — soda
  7. race — a contest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. march — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pop — music
  24. race — the arms race

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