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: safe · band · present · chair · game · wind · march · pop

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a leader
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pop — to visit
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. present — the time now
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. march — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — soda
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pop — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — there

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