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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fall — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. drill — army training
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — of a river
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bank — for money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bank — for money
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — the tool

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