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: game · bore · rush · wake · object · coach · band · wind

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to drill
  5. object — to protest
  6. band — a ring
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — hurry
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. object — an aim
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. object — a thing

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