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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pop — soda
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ball — a great time
  22. clip — a video
  23. march — the month
  24. capital — a city

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