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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. club — a group
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. swing — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chest — of your body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — the fish
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. present — there
  20. bass — low music
  21. shower — rain
  22. swing — to play on
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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