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: mouse · game · band · file · bass · shower · pitcher · vault

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — rain
  8. game — wild animals
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. file — a document
  11. game — a match
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. vault — a safe
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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