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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — low music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — happy
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bass — the fish
  16. degree — temperature
  17. content — the amount
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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