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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. track — a path
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bass — low music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wake — a trail
  17. swing — in golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — music
  24. swing — music

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