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: chair · wound · craft · spring · rush · squash · bass · stick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. craft — a handicraft

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