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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. suit — to fit
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a ring
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — in golf
  11. suit — clothes
  12. swing — to play on
  13. present — there
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. present — the time now
  17. press — to push
  18. present — a gift
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — a publisher
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

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