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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — rain
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — a safe
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — a series

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