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: staff · band · snap · plane · date · charge · tube · roll

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. staff — employees
  4. charge — a price
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. roll — a list
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — the underground
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — a container
  14. plane — a tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. date — the fruit
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. charge — in control
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. band — a music group

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