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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — part of the head
  7. clip — a video
  8. face — to confront
  9. court — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a music group
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of law
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a ring

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