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 116 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: file · dip · bass · cell · firm · chair · rash · clip

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. firm — a company
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cell — a phone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. file — a document
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — low music
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cell — in biology
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. chair — a professorship

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