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: staff · bass · cold · jam · last · bulb · march · roll

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the fish
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — final
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — not warm
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — finally
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — to go on
  24. bulb — for light

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