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: bat · squash · season · bass · net · rash · saw · deal

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. net — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — for catching
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — in sport
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — hasty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. squash — to crush

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