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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — final
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — help
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — finally
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — to recline

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