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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a ring
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — goods
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. object — to protest
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — belonging to me

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