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: wake · land · cap · nail · bulb · cold · calf · kick

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — ground
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cold — not warm
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — in football
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young animal

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