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 120 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 · key · rash · snap · mine · foot · rock · clip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rash — hasty
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. march — the month
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — to cut
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — a stone
  17. snap — to click
  18. clip — a video
  19. mine — for digging
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. key — in music

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