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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — in sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. net — after costs
  10. fine — high quality
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a music group
  17. spell — magic
  18. mine — an explosive

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