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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fall — the season
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — a group
  6. deal — to handle
  7. land — a country
  8. net — after costs
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — magic
  12. club — for dancing
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — ground
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — to come down

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