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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — low music
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. race — the arms race
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. club — a group
  17. race — a contest
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — completely
  23. club — for dancing
  24. race — humankind

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