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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · cell · tear · rule · rash · chest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rash — a series
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — hasty

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