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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. last — finally
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — final
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. last — to go on
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cell — in biology
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — to wash
  22. deal — to handle
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pound — a weight

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