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: branch · safe · degree · ball · chest · rush · band · board

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a dance
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — a box
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a music group
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rush — a thrill

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