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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — low music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. present — a gift
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rock — music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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