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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a ring
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bank — of a river
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. game — a kind of play

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