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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. content — happy
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. object — a thing
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — a country
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — the cause
  16. land — ground
  17. root — of a word
  18. file — a document
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — to come down
  23. object — to protest
  24. club — for golf

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