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 · bear · arm · bass · spell · bark · rash · stick

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bear — the animal

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