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 120 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: lie · spring · band · bat · rock · sharp · kick · cap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a ring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spring — of water
  23. band — a music group
  24. rock — a stone

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