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 · track · nail · deal · spell · cap · bass · hand

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. hand — help
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spell — letters
  8. cap — a hat
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a song
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spell — magic
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — a path
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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