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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. season — of the year
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — in sport
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — a tool
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — rain
  20. drill — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — to wash
  24. plane — in geometry

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