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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — low music
  6. pop — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — tied together
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — soda
  24. arm — a part of something

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