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: wind · march · firm · craft · bound · spell · arm · spring

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. march — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — the season
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spell — magic
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. craft — a skill
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — boats
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. spell — letters
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — steady

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