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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a music group
  5. last — final
  6. band — a ring
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — finally
  9. content — happy
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — the amount

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