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

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. track — a song
  3. march — music
  4. swing — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. swing — in golf
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a path
  19. spell — a short time
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. spell — magic

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