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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · band · mark · march · scale · pit · spell · sharp

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spell — magic
  5. march — music
  6. band — a music group
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. band — a ring
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. march — the month
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — in music
  24. pit — in a race

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