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: march · kid · bass · band · swing · shower · cell · calf

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kid — child
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cell — in biology
  17. swing — music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. band — a music group
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — low music
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — music

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