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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. kick — in football
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. object — an aim
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — a thing
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. object — to protest
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rash — a series
  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