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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. row — a line
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — low music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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