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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a music group
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. march — the month
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — a position
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bowl — a dish

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