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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — to visit
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. capital — money
  6. ball — a great time
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — soda
  13. band — a music group
  14. pop — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. capital — a city
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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