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: snap · shower · cell · bass · capital · craft · squash · pitcher

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cell — a phone
  8. craft — boats
  9. capital — money
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to click
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bass — the fish
  17. capital — a city
  18. squash — the sport
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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