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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — child
  5. band — a ring
  6. scale — in music
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. can — to be able to
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cold — the Cold War

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