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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — the month
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hand — help
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. march — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pass — a permit
  24. band — a music group

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