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: root · bass · saw · rule · band · net · kick · stock

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — after costs
  10. band — a ring
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. root — of a word
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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