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: rule · roll · scale · track · sharp · march · spell · land

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. scale — size or range
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — government
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. land — to come down
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. track — a song
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — a list
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — a country
  20. track — to keep track
  21. march — music
  22. track — a path
  23. land — ground
  24. roll — a cake

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