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: bear · bass · patient · cabinet · scale · wave · spell · ball

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. scale — in music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ball — a great time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — size or range

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