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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. land — a country
  5. race — a contest
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spell — letters
  10. march — the month
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — a group
  15. march — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — of ice
  18. land — to come down
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spell — magic
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — a short time
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. club — for dancing

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