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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — wild animals
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — a match
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — the month
  22. season — in sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. can — to be able to

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