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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. swing — to play on
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a ring
  15. key — in music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a music group
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. swing — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. march — music

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