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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mine — for digging
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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