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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. drill — army training
  3. capital — money
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — of water
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — happening now
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — electric
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bear — to put up with

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