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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — low music
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — to get on
  13. last — final
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. scale — size or range
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a committee
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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