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: band · pop · season · perch · stick · wind · chest · racket

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — in sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pop — soda
  24. wind — moving air

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