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 124 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. present — a gift
  5. march — the month
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a ring
  8. ground — a position
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spell — letters
  11. march — the month
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — magic
  15. march — music
  16. present — there
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — to breed
  19. band — a music group
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. object — a thing
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — the earth

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