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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — music
  5. march — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. object — an aim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a great time
  12. object — to protest
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pop — soda
  19. bound — tied together
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. object — a thing

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