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: shower · craft · kid · leaves · bass · pop · sharp · rest

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pop — to visit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — low music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — soda
  13. craft — boats
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — child
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. shower — to wash

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