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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. land — ground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cue — a hint
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cue — a signal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. land — to come down
  14. root — of a plant
  15. suit — in cards
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. root — the cause
  18. sharp — clever
  19. suit — clothes
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. march — the month
  23. land — a country
  24. root — of a word

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