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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. march — the month
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. craft — a skill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — the month
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a tool
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pit — in a race
  13. craft — boats
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a document
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a line of people
  20. land — to come down
  21. pit — a hole
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — a line
  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