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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cap — a hat
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spring — the season
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — the fish
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mine — for digging
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. march — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. perch — for a bird

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