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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — happening now
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. current — of water
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — music
  16. current — electric
  17. march — music
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mark — a trace

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