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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. march — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. toast — bread
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cold — an illness
  15. present — a gift
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — not warm
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. present — the time now

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