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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. content — the amount
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — the season
  10. bass — the fish
  11. band — a ring
  12. firm — a company
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. firm — steady
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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