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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. field — farmland
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bass — low music
  17. snap — to click
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — the fish

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