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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — in a race
  13. charge — electricity
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a hole
  16. charge — in control
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. drill — army training
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — a price

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