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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — certain
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bound — tied together

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