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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — a practice
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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