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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — finally
  11. object — to protest
  12. fall — the season
  13. tube — a container
  14. band — a music group
  15. bank — for money
  16. object — a thing
  17. last — final
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. band — a ring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cold — not warm

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