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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kick — in football
  5. shower — rain
  6. clip — a video
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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