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: wave · mate · degree · present · shower · bass · saw · rest

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — to wash
  4. present — a gift
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the fish
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bass — low music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — rain
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rest — a break
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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