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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. track — a song
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a match
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. track — to keep track
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rock — a stone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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