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: mine · trunk · deal · pop · land · lie · bowl · band

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. land — ground
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. lie — to recline
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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