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 · rush · degree · saw · court · march · fan · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — low music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. last — final
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of a king
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. court — for sport

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