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 116 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: race · stem · bass · swing · hand · ball · leaves · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — low music
  5. race — humankind
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. swing — music
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — to play on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ball — a dance
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bass — the fish
  24. swing — in golf

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