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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — a match
  4. swing — to play on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. swing — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — tied together
  13. capital — a city
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. content — happy
  16. saw — the tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. game — wild animals
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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