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: scale · pop · band · trunk · pitcher · game · net · fork

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. net — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pop — soda
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pop — music
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — to visit

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