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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. game — a match
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bass — the fish
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bass — low music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. band — a music group
  24. arm — part of the body

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