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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — happy
  3. march — music
  4. content — the amount
  5. kick — in football
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lean — thin
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. march — the month
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bowl — a football final

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