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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. row — a line
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. band — a ring
  5. craft — boats
  6. capital — a city
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — happening now
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. capital — money
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. craft — a skill
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — to recline
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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