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 · arm · court · face · band · chest · date · bulb

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — a law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — government
  9. band — a ring
  10. court — of law
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — of your body
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — of a king
  24. date — on the calendar

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