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 · leaves · cold · band · perch · bass · swing · bat

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. perch — the fish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. cold — an illness
  16. band — a music group
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the instrument

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