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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. court — of law
  3. bass — the fish
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — a committee
  11. hand — help
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a ring
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of a king
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. band — a music group
  23. rest — a break
  24. stand — on your feet

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