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: cell · spring · nail · bass · mug · scale · rash · roll

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cell — a phone
  3. roll — a list
  4. spring — the season
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — low music
  14. mug — a face
  15. spring — a coil
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — size or range

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