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: face · pitcher · bark · bass · ruler · kid · band · wake

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — child
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bass — low music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a music group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a ring
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — the fish
  24. band — a rubber band

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