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 · foot · tube · rash · leaves · ball · rush · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a match
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rash — a series
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — to hurry

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