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: band · game · spring · mate · sharp · arm · spell · rush

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a match
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a ring
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mate — a partner

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