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: nail · chip · bass · net · wound · last · pop · ball

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pop — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ball — a dance

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