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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · firm · present · march · kick · hide

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. firm — a company
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — the month
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. firm — steady
  18. kick — in football

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