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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — an injury
  9. degree — an amount
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wake — a trail
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a music group
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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