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 116 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: craft · bass · capital · fall · net · saw · straw · trunk

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. net — in sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. capital — money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — boats
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. net — for catching
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a city

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