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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. object — to protest
  2. cold — an illness
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. march — music
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — a position
  7. content — happy
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cold — not warm
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ground — the earth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — the amount
  23. object — an aim
  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