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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. band — a ring
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. net — for catching
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rush — hurry
  19. capital — money
  20. band — a music group
  21. capital — a city
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — ground
  24. net — in sport

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