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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — farmland
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bass — low music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. snap — to click
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. field — for sport
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — soda
  24. field — a subject

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