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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — final
  8. wind — moving air
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — certain
  11. last — finally
  12. bound — tied together
  13. net — in sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. season — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — for catching
  24. can — to be able to

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