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: shower · fall · bass · current · bark · sharp · land · cabinet

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fall — to drop
  7. land — ground
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. shower — to wash
  11. current — happening now
  12. bass — the fish
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bass — low music
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — a country
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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