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 116 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: tube · band · chair · last · prune · coach · face · bear

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — a container
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. face — to confront
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — to point toward
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. tube — the underground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — in a tire

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