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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. band — a ring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. swing — to play on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a music group
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kid — child
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. swing — in golf

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