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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — low music
  4. court — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. face — part of the head
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. face — to point toward
  13. club — for golf
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. sharp — clever
  16. face — to confront
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. court — of law
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. court — of a king

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