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: saw · bass · swing · ground · chest · drill · mine · kick

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. drill — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — army training
  15. bass — low music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — in football
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — crushed

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