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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. last — final
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — the season
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rest — a break
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — finally
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. band — a ring
  18. bound — certain
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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