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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — obliged
  7. object — to protest
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. object — a thing
  17. tube — the underground
  18. date — the fruit
  19. object — an aim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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