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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a friend
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — to breed
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. march — music

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