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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. squash — to crush
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — a division
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. squash — the sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. toast — bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — money
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. squash — the vegetable

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