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: coach · staff · bass · hand · ball · rash · pitcher · wake

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — help
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — low music
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rash — a series

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