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: band · march · bay · cell · bound · spell · rule · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. court — for sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — of a king
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. cell — a phone

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