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: bound · roll · straw · rest · row · dip · net · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. roll — a cake
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. roll — a list
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — a break
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — in sport

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