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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bass — low music
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. file — a tool
  11. hand — help
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. field — a subject
  18. hand — in cards
  19. file — a document
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — the animal

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