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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spring — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — of water
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wake — a trail
  22. can — a tin
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. saw — the tool

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