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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. clip — a video
  7. capital — a city
  8. mug — a face
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — a cup
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. scale — in music
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. scale — size or range
  17. clip — to cut
  18. band — a ring
  19. club — a group
  20. capital — money
  21. club — for golf
  22. clip — for paper
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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