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: rule · spring · chair · squash · safe · bark · band · scale

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bark — to shout
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — size or range
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. spring — of water
  17. chair — a leader
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rule — government
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. band — a music group

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