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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. march — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — to breed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — bread
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — a friend
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — the most admired

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