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 · cold · mark · bank · pitcher · cell · row · pop

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pop — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. march — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. row — a line
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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