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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pit — a hole
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. file — a document
  8. club — a group
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. roll — a list
  16. file — a tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bass — low music

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