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 very handy with a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. cold — an illness
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bass — low music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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