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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a committee
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — a box
  20. march — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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