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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. land — a country
  11. mine — for digging
  12. file — a tool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — ministers

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