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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lie — to recline
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — government
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — a law
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — in music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bass — the fish

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