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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. drill — a practice
  4. swing — in golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. swing — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. swing — to play on
  17. drill — army training
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a song
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. content — happy
  24. row — a quarrel

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