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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — soda
  11. court — of law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bat — the animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — certain
  24. wave — 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