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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. last — final
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — to go on
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — of water
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — belonging to me

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