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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — a cake
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. firm — a company
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — electric
  11. spell — a short time
  12. land — ground
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. last — final
  16. march — music
  17. current — of water
  18. firm — steady
  19. current — happening now
  20. spell — magic
  21. firm — decided
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. land — a country

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