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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rule — a law
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. race — humankind
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rule — government
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — wild animals

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