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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. field — farmland
  5. rock — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. pop — soda
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bore — to drill
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — for sport
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pop — music
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. field — a subject

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