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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hand — help
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — a hat
  6. charge — in control
  7. suit — clothes
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cap — a lid
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. suit — in cards
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. row — a line
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — 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