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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. row — a line
  7. object — to protest
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — an aim
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. band — a ring
  14. object — a thing
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. can — a tin

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