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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — a grade
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. clip — to cut
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — a cake
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bound — tied together
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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