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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. file — a tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. net — after costs
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. can — a tin
  11. present — there
  12. cell — a phone
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a document
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. band — a music group
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. net — for catching
  23. file — a line of people
  24. band — a ring

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