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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. game — a match
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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