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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — of the year
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a ring
  9. season — in sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a music group
  23. saw — the tool
  24. lean — to rest against

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