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: plane · track · date · shower · bass · calf · swing · capital

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. swing — to play on
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bass — the fish
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — money
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — low music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a path
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. date — the fruit

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