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: content · rush · tube · shower · game · band · track · stand

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. content — the amount
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. track — a song
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tube — the underground
  9. shower — to wash
  10. content — happy
  11. shower — rain
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. game — wild animals
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — a container

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