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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — a match
  6. scale — in music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. game — wild animals
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — low music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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