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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. land — to come down
  3. pit — in a race
  4. spell — magic
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — music
  7. tube — a container
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rash — a series
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — a country
  17. march — the month
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — the month
  24. land — ground

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