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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — to grow
  7. club — a group
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to click
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bass — low music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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