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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mark — a grade
  10. club — for dancing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. net — for catching
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — a match
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. club — for golf
  24. net — after costs

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