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: shower · wave · bass · charge · rest · ball · fan · sharp

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rest — a break
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — a price
  17. ball — a dance
  18. charge — in control
  19. shower — rain
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bass — low music
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ball — a great time

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