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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — to paddle
  10. club — a group
  11. bass — low music
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. club — for golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. row — a line
  21. sharp — clever
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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