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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cell — a phone
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kid — child
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — in biology
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. march — the month

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