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: march · club · shower · coach · rush · craft · jam · mine

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. march — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mine — for digging
  7. club — a group
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — boats
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. march — the month

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