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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. scale — in music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — from a university
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bass — low music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — humankind

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