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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rock — music
  17. season — of the year
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — child
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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