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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. craft — boats
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rash — a series
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a music group
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — a match

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