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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — for paper
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wake — a trail
  9. band — a ring
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. band — a music group
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. rash — a series
  18. clip — a video
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. rash — on the skin

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