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: craft · chest · board · game · band · press · lash · wave

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a ring
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. game — wild animals
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chest — a box
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. press — a publisher
  15. craft — boats
  16. press — to push
  17. board — a committee
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — a match
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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