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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. snap — to click
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. net — after costs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — rain
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — low music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a song

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