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: file · racket · wind · bass · foot · hand · coach · bat

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. file — a tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bat — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bass — low music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — part of the body

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