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: last · cell · mate · band · chair · game · lie · deal

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a match
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mate — a partner
  22. last — finally
  23. cell — in biology
  24. last — to go on

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