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: present · bat · band · wave · mate · stick · file · kick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. present — a gift
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a ring
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. file — a document
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. present — the time now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. band — a music group
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a friend
  22. present — there
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bat — in an idiom

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