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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. march — music
  3. hand — help
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hand — in cards
  24. arm — a part of something

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