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 120 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: ball · drill · chip · band · race · fork · mate · stick

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mate — to breed
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — humankind
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. race — a contest
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chip — for betting

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