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: season · shower · content · march · object · cap · foot · roll

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. roll — a list
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. object — to protest
  9. season — in sport
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cap — a lid
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. object — a thing
  14. march — the month
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. object — an aim
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cap — of ice
  20. content — the amount
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. season — of the year
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. march — the month

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