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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — a country
  4. object — to protest
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. object — a thing
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. land — to come down
  15. object — an aim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — the amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. band — a music group
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. can — a tin

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