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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a ring
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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