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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. cap — a hat
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bass — low music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — in cards
  11. race — humankind
  12. club — for golf
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — a contest
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hand — help
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — part of the body

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