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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. march — the month
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bass — low music
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — the season
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. sharp — clever

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