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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — army training
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. cold — an illness
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tube — the underground
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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