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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — magic
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a match
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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