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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — of water
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. row — a line
  20. swing — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fall — to drop

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