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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — the fruit
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. spell — magic
  11. rule — government
  12. scale — in music
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rule — a law
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bark — of a tree

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