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: mouse · branch · band · sharp · pitch · bass · object · chest

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. object — to protest
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a music group
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bass — low music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. object — a thing
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — completely

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