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 124 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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — a match
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. degree — an amount
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — a partner

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