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: leaves · drill · staff · bass · kick · swing · chest · prune

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — low music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — a box
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kick — in football

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