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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. content — the amount
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. capital — a city
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — a trail
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. content — happy
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. calf — of the leg

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