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

Word bank: wind · present · object · bowl · file · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. object — an aim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — to protest
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — a gift
  7. file — a document
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. present — there
  10. file — a line of people
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. object — a thing
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — a football final

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