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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — a permit
  4. snap — to click
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. capital — money
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. shower — rain

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