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 120 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: rush · ball · squash · game · wind · perch · band · bass

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a ring
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a music group
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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