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: degree · club · bass · arm · wave · shower · hand · mate

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — for golf
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mate — a friend
  7. club — a group
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mate — a partner
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — help
  24. degree — an amount

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