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 120 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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. charge — a price
  5. club — a group
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — low music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — from crying
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — goods
  14. charge — in control
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stock — shares
  19. bass — the fish
  20. chest — a box
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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