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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — a company
  5. rule — government
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — low music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. file — a document
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rule — a law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. firm — decided
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fall — the season
  24. file — a tool

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