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: last · bass · staff · temple · bat · wound · pitcher · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bass — low music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — final

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