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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. band — a ring
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. tube — a container
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — happy
  18. toast — bread
  19. stem — to come from
  20. content — the amount
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a music group

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