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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — for catching
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the fish
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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