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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — help
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — in cards
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bass — the instrument

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