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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. file — a tool
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spring — a coil
  10. file — a line of people
  11. band — a ring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. file — a document
  22. last — final
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mine — for digging

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