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: calf · swing · band · rule · court · saw · land · date

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — of law
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rule — government
  11. land — to come down
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. court — for sport
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a ring
  16. court — of a king
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. land — a country
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — to play on
  24. date — on the calendar

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