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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. band — a ring
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. club — a group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — for golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. band — a music group
  24. hand — help

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