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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bark — to shout
  6. march — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — of the year
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — a line
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. season — in sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. deal — an agreement

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