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

Word bank: march · game · land · bulb · chest · mark · row · staff

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — a country
  18. row — a line
  19. march — the month
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a match

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