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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — there
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a music group
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. field — farmland
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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