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: vault · bound · march · cell · wave · hand · spell · file

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. file — a line of people
  12. march — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hand — in cards
  17. file — a document
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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