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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — to eat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pop — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — soda
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a music group
  24. chip — for betting

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