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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — there
  5. object — an aim
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. file — a document
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rock — a stone
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — for catching
  15. present — a gift
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. present — the time now

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