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

Word bank: bass · toast · jam · ball · march · row · file · mine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. file — a tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. row — a line
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. row — to paddle
  23. march — music
  24. bass — low music

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