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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — money
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — for digging
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a hint

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