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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — in music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bass — low music
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bass — the fish
  14. club — for golf
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — ministers

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