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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. game — a match
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bass — the fish
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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