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: trunk · bass · swing · shower · spell · foot · kid · hand

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spell — a short time
  4. foot — a measure
  5. shower — to wash
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bass — low music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. shower — rain
  24. kid — to tease

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