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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. last — final
  7. march — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — child
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. march — the month
  19. last — to go on
  20. kick — in football
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — with a leg
  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