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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — a path
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — the month
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rule — government
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rule — a law
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a handicraft

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