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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — rain
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. face — to confront
  11. object — an aim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. object — a thing
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. shower — to wash

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