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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a music group
  6. court — of a king
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. court — of law
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stem — to come from
  24. club — for dancing

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