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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. band — a ring
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — a match
  15. rule — a law
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rule — government

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