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 116 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. object — to protest
  3. band — a ring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — a match
  6. firm — a company
  7. object — an aim
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. game — wild animals
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fine — all right
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. spring — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — of water
  19. object — a thing
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. firm — steady
  24. key — in music

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