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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ground — crushed
  3. band — a ring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — a partner
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. march — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a music group

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