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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cap — a hat
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cap — of ice
  10. object — an aim
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. object — to protest
  13. file — a tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — obliged
  17. band — a ring
  18. bound — tied together
  19. craft — boats
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. file — a line of people
  23. object — a thing
  24. bound — certain

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