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: land · march · firm · last · swing · ball · spring · cap

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. last — to go on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — steady
  9. swing — in golf
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cap — of ice
  14. last — final
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. swing — music
  20. firm — a company
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. firm — decided

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