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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mate — a friend
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — to come down
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — a short time
  14. suit — in cards
  15. spell — magic
  16. march — the month
  17. mate — to breed
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — soda
  20. race — the arms race
  21. march — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pop — to visit

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