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: lean · hand · last · chair · rock · game · tear · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chair — a leader
  9. tear — to rip
  10. game — a match
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — music
  14. last — final
  15. band — a music group
  16. last — to go on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — finally
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — thin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lean — to rest against

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