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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pop — to visit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rash — a series
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — music
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pop — soda
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — the tool

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