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: stick · bark · band · chest · bass · rule · kick · court

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — a box
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chest — of your body
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. kick — in football
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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