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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. present — a gift
  6. key — the most important part
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. present — the time now
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. key — in music
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chair — a leader
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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