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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — child
  3. content — the amount
  4. shower — to wash
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — rain
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. content — happy
  13. rule — a law
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rule — government
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pound — a weight
  22. craft — boats
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a song

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