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: vault · bore · leaves · march · lash · content · degree · lean

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. degree — from a university
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bore — to tire
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bore — to drill
  16. vault — a safe
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — to rest against

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