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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. charge — electricity
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. race — the arms race
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — music
  20. toast — bread
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kid — child

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