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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — a phone
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a ring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — obliged
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — certain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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