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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bass — low music
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. season — in sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. band — a music group
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a ring
  24. bass — the instrument

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