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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — to rob
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mug — a face
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — the amount
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — finally
  13. mug — a cup
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy

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