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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. content — happy
  5. present — a gift
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. content — the amount
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — the season
  13. drill — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. drill — a practice
  16. march — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. drill — army training
  20. dip — to sink
  21. present — the time now
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — a grade

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