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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. hand — help
  17. shower — rain
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chair — to sit on

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