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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. club — for golf
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stem — of a plant

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