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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — for golf
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. club — a group
  10. march — music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mate — to breed
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — tied together
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. club — for dancing
  24. deal — to handle

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