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 120 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: bay · arm · staff · bass · band · kid · march · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. band — a music group
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. staff — employees
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. dip — to sink
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — the fish
  24. staff — employees

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