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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bass — low music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. land — to come down
  15. stand — to bear
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — rain
  19. ball — a dance
  20. degree — temperature
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — ground
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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