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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. land — to come down
  4. band — a music group
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a ring
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — a weight
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — ground
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — help
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. land — a country

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