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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — the amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. band — a music group
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — magic
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wind — moving air

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