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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lie — to recline
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bass — the fish
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. sharp — clever
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — a list
  23. fine — high quality
  24. swing — music

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