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 · sharp · hand · net · track · fan · mug · pound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — in sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the fish
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bass — low music
  19. net — for catching
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — after costs
  22. track — a path
  23. mug — a face
  24. track — to keep track

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