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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. march — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. cue — a signal

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