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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. snap — to click
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — magic
  14. pop — to visit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hand — help
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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