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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. march — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — a path
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — letters
  16. swing — in golf
  17. content — happy
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — the month
  24. track — to keep track

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