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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — ground
  5. face — to confront
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of a king
  10. march — the month
  11. track — to keep track
  12. swing — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a path
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — a song
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. club — a group

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