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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the fish
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a path
  15. bass — low music
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — to go away

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