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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — final
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — army training
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — to bear
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — to go on
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — a gift
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — finally

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