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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lean — to bend
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. kid — to tease
  14. march — music
  15. band — a ring
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kid — child
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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