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 · coach · game · toast · arm · mine · pass · spring

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — a coil
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — of water
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — bread
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a match
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. band — a music group

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