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: march · charge · bay · band · bass · snap · net · ground

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. band — a ring
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. bass — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — after costs
  16. ground — the earth
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — in control
  19. march — the month
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — music
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — low music

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