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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — a match
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bank — of a river
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — in football
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — certain

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