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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — the month
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. spell — a short time
  12. content — happy
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. march — music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. drill — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. drill — army training
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spell — magic

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