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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. firm — steady
  3. mug — to rob
  4. firm — a company
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mug — a cup
  8. clip — to cut
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. firm — decided
  12. band — a ring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a music group
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — a phone

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