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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a line
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a document
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pop — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pop — soda
  24. file — a tool

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