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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. march — the month
  5. club — for golf
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. club — a group
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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