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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rash — hasty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — certain
  13. last — to go on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — for money
  19. bound — tied together
  20. rash — a series
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — final

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