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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spring — a coil
  24. deal — to handle

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