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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — wild animals
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — to wash
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — the season
  23. plane — a tool
  24. craft — boats

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