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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. root — the cause
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. degree — temperature
  11. shower — to wash
  12. root — of a word
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — rain
  24. degree — from a university

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