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: chest · pitcher · bear · hide · band · ground · date · leaves

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. date — the fruit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — a position
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a ring

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