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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — after costs
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. drill — a practice
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — for catching
  11. club — a group
  12. field — farmland
  13. land — ground
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — in control
  16. drill — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — a country
  21. charge — electricity
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. court — for sport

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