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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — the season
  3. scale — in music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — of law
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — of a king
  15. march — music
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — size or range
  24. calf — of the leg

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