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: bass · nail · rush · mine · capital · perch · suit · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — for digging
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. suit — to fit
  9. capital — money
  10. rush — hurry
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. suit — in cards
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mine — an explosive

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