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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bound — tied together
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — a song
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bound — obliged
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — music
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — help
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — a practice
  17. track — a path
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a ring
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — money

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