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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bass — low music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — a practice

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