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: rock · kid · snap · ball · bass · lean · land · tear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — a stone
  16. land — a country
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — to come down
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to click

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