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: craft · bay · spring · march · wave · field · fine · bound

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — obliged
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. craft — boats
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — music
  14. field — a subject
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spring — the season
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — farmland
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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