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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. drill — army training
  8. bank — of a river
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bound — tied together
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — of the year
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. bank — for money
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — in sport

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