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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. file — a document
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. file — a line of people
  22. band — a music group
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — a leader

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