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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. march — music
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — the month
  15. field — for sport
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. root — the cause
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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