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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — a gift
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. present — there
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. file — a line of people
  16. present — the time now
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. band — a rubber band

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