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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — to go on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — final
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — finally
  21. rash — hasty
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pound — a weight

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