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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tear — to rip
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rash — a series
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. present — a gift
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the fish
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — help
  21. present — the time now
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — there

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