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: shower · bass · pitcher · fine · trunk · rush · chest · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — low music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — rain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fine — all right
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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