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: kid · wind · season · pound · nail · bass · toast · file

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kid — child
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. file — a tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. season — in sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. toast — bread
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. season — of the year
  21. pound — a weight
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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