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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. land — a country
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. band — a music group
  9. land — to come down
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — a video
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitch — a sports field

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