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: scale · jam · shower · squash · wake · rule · ball · band

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. squash — the sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. squash — to crush
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rule — a law
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a dance
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. shower — rain
  18. rule — government
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a great time
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — to rule out

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