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

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — the month
  4. content — the amount
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. row — a line
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cell — a phone
  24. march — the month

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