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: rock · degree · stem · bay · bass · jam · last · swing

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rock — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — final
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. swing — in golf
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bass — low music
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — a stone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — to come from

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