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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fall — the season
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — a box
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — of ice
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bass — low music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chest — of your body

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