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: wound · object · ball · drill · wake · present · jam · band

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — an aim
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. present — the time now
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — to protest
  10. drill — army training
  11. wake — a trail
  12. object — a thing
  13. present — a gift
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — there
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. drill — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. jam — a tight spot

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