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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. present — a gift
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — humankind
  11. present — the time now
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rock — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. present — there
  21. sharp — clever
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — with an edge

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