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 ________________ the meat?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. present — a gift
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — to paddle
  5. present — the time now
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — a line
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — low music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. present — there

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