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: roll · coach · rash · march · stick · field · pop · arm

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — a series
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. roll — a list
  8. pop — soda
  9. rash — hasty
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — a subject
  13. march — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — to visit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pop — music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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