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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — rain
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bass — the fish
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fork — a garden tool

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