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: chair · rest · court · file · mouse · stand · band · rush

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — a break
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. file — a line of people
  5. band — a ring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stand — to bear
  10. court — of law
  11. file — a document
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chair — a leader
  22. file — a tool
  23. court — for sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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