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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — the time now
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. jam — a tight spot

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