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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. club — for golf
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. field — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — moving air
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. foot — the bottom

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