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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. shower — rain
  13. scale — in music
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — of water
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a document
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lash — an eyelash

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