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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. suit — clothes
  6. field — farmland
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — money

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