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: mate · foot · rock · bound · straw · present · bat · band

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — the time now
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — certain
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — a partner
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. present — there
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. band — a music group
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rock — a stone

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