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: nail · spell · scale · content · saw · march · land · bound

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — ground
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bound — tied together
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — music
  15. land — a country
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. land — to come down
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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