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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spring — of water
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — to wash
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — a path
  16. march — music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. track — a song
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — the season
  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