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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. land — a country
  3. can — to be able to
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — ground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. land — to come down
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — a match
  23. band — a ring
  24. game — a kind of play

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