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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. spell — magic
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stand — to bear
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. spell — a short time
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — in music

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