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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — final
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. track — a path
  10. staff — a stick
  11. band — a ring
  12. staff — employees
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — finally
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — employees

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