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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. lean — thin
  4. spell — magic
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stock — goods
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. band — a music group

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