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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bass — low music
  3. swing — music
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bark — to shout
  9. row — a line
  10. swing — to play on
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a path
  14. band — a ring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. row — to paddle

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