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: pop · chest · ball · temple · wake · march · safe · chair

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a dance
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — a box
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. temple — side of the head

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