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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. club — for golf
  3. rule — government
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. court — of law
  7. can — a tin
  8. rule — a law
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of a king
  11. club — for dancing
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a document
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a line of people
  24. can — a tin

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