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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. band — a ring
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — obliged
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. band — a music group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a match
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a path
  21. march — music
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — to keep track

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