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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bass — the fish
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spring — the season
  14. pop — to visit
  15. craft — boats
  16. ball — a dance
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — a line
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bark — of a tree

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