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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bound — certain
  3. sharp — clever
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. current — of water
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — size or range
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — happening now
  20. scale — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wind — moving air

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