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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · vault · file · band · kid · tear

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — to rip
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document

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