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: spell · deal · net · pop · race · wake · sharp · band

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. deal — to handle
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — clever
  5. race — the arms race
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. race — humankind
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. spell — magic
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pop — music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — letters
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spell — a short time

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