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: stand · band · snap · mine · charge · hand · cabinet · mark

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to click
  4. charge — electricity
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. band — a music group
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. charge — a price
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. charge — in control
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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