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: bank · ball · shower · lie · roll · game · band · file

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a document
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lie — to recline
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. file — a line of people
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ball — a great time
  19. band — a ring
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. shower — rain

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