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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — ground
  6. plane — a tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — in music
  10. land — a country
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — the fish
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bass — low music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rash — hasty
  23. squash — to crush
  24. scale — for weighing

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