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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. band — a ring
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. rock — music
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rock — a stone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a document
  22. band — a music group
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. plane — an aircraft

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