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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — a law
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — of ice
  14. game — a match
  15. file — a line of people
  16. game — wild animals
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a lid
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a document
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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