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 · object · chest · temple · clip · fan · bowl · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — a box
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. clip — a video
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. last — final
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — for paper
  23. last — to go on
  24. bowl — a dish

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