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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a ring
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. kid — child
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a friend
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. band — a music group
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mate — to breed
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — to wash
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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