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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. craft — boats
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. swing — in golf
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. row — a line
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tube — a container
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — there
  22. mate — a partner
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mate — a friend

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