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 · game · mine · bound · ground · track · stick · mark

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. march — the month
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — for digging
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — a path
  18. bound — obliged
  19. march — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mark — a grade
  22. track — a song
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — an explosive

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