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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — final
  4. rash — hasty
  5. march — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — happy
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a friend
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — the month
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. last — to go on
  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