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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — to come down
  3. club — for golf
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cap — a hat
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — for dancing
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — in music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — a country
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — in a race
  22. club — a group
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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