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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — a tin
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. hand — help
  24. net — for catching

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