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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. land — to come down
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — certain
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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