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

Word bank: shower · stock · tear · stand · sharp · calf · march · drill

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — shares
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — on your feet

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