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 116 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 taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — decided
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — to go on
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. last — final
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. clip — to cut
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mate — to breed
  21. shower — rain
  22. pop — soda
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — finally

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