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 116 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: march · craft · hand · chip · straw · band · sharp · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a ring
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — in cards
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a music group
  16. craft — boats
  17. march — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chip — to eat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chip — for betting

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