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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. last — finally
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — final
  16. root — of a word
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. present — there
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — certain

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