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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. land — ground
  5. band — a music group
  6. root — of a word
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — a country
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — to handle
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. root — of a plant
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — to come down
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a line of people
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. root — the cause
  24. jam — in traffic

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