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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a ring
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cue — for pool
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — to tease
  17. current — of water
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cue — a signal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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