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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wake — a trail
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. swing — to play on
  10. race — humankind
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. swing — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bass — low music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. race — a contest
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wake — before a funeral

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