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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — finally
  6. track — to keep track
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a song
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. chip — to eat
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — for betting
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to click

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