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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fall — the season
  15. pop — soda
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. board — to get on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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