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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. band — a music group
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chip — for betting
  9. swing — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. file — a line of people
  13. board — to get on
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — in golf
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. file — a document

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