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: tear · jam · bat · can · present · bass · coach · degree

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. present — the time now
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bass — low music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — the fish
  16. present — a gift
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. degree — an amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — temperature
  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