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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. file — a document
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitch — completely
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. trunk — of a tree

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