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 · craft · clip · plane · roll · rule · bowl · hand

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — a list
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. plane — a tool
  9. craft — boats
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. craft — a skill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — help
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. plane — an aircraft

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