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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. foot — a measure
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — the fish
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. toast — bread
  14. file — a tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. file — a document
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. file — a line of people
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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