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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — the underground
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — money
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — music

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