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 · band · bank · rash · mark · hand · last · ball

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — of a river
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — a grade
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a music group
  12. ball — a dance
  13. last — final
  14. bank — for money
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — a series
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — for money
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hand — in cards

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