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: mark · bound · cell · staff · band · last · pitch · kid

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a music group
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — tied together
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. last — final
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cell — in biology
  18. band — a ring
  19. last — finally
  20. mark — a grade
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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