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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — of water
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. current — happening now
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — rain
  17. bass — low music
  18. tube — a container
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — electric
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chest — a box
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. tube — the underground

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