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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — the fish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — low music
  6. roll — a list
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hand — help
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. swing — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. dip — to sink
  24. roll — a cake

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