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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. firm — steady
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. land — a country
  7. cold — an illness
  8. toast — bread
  9. firm — a company
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — a tin
  13. swing — music
  14. firm — decided
  15. land — ground
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. can — to be able to
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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