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: current · file · march · foot · wound · pitch · temple · band

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitch — completely
  3. march — music
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. foot — a measure
  9. file — a line of people
  10. current — electric
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a document
  16. current — happening now
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. foot — the bottom

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