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: spring · pitcher · bound · ground · net · wax · march · cell

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — in biology
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. march — music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — the season
  11. bound — certain
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bound — tied together
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — a coil

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