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 · pitch · fall · land · bark · wound · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bark — to shout
  22. race — humankind
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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