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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mate — a friend
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ball — a dance

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