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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fine — all right
  3. club — for golf
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — a group
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — a tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fine — high quality
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry

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