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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bound — tied together
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — low music
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a line
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the instrument

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