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: season · saw · cold · band · face · mine · chair · temple

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — a leader
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — an illness
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a music group
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. season — in sport
  19. mine — for digging
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — to confront

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