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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. root — the cause
  6. key — for a lock
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — of a plant
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. key — the most important part
  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