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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. last — to go on
  3. march — music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — of water
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. last — finally
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a city
  11. march — the month
  12. last — final
  13. squash — to crush
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. capital — money
  17. march — the month
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. current — happening now
  24. bound — certain

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