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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — child
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — happy
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tube — a container

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