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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pop — soda
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — rain
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a ring
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a music group

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