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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. band — a ring
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. club — for golf
  8. band — a music group
  9. cap — of ice
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. club — for dancing
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. march — the month
  19. club — a group
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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