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: band · saw · rash · bat · ball · chest · rush · calf

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — a series
  13. chest — of your body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. band — a ring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — for baseball

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