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: cold · fine · mug · file · bass · craft · pitcher · arm

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the fish
  6. file — a tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mug — to rob
  9. craft — a skill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — all right
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — low music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cold — not warm
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. file — a document
  24. arm — part of the body

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