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 116 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: row · rest · hand · bay · bat · march · mate · pass

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rest — a break
  10. march — the month
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rest — what's left
  13. row — a line
  14. march — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bay — a horse colour

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