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: fan · lash · rash · roll · cold · track · temple · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cold — an illness
  4. track — a path
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — a list
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a song
  24. rash — a series

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