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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. object — a thing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. march — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — a city
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. club — a group
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  24. object — an aim

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