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 116 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: prune · band · sharp · land · key · bass · cap · march

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the fish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cap — a lid
  9. march — the month
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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