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 116 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: bass · object · scale · bat · pitch · bark · spring · game

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. object — an aim
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — the season
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — low music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitch — completely
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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