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: bass · temple · bound · game · squash · present · cell · mark

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. present — there
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. squash — to crush
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — a trace
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. present — the time now
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mark — a grade

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