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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — soda
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fall — the season
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a music group
  10. pop — to visit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — in music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a ring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — 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