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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — in sport
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. club — a group
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. root — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. root — the cause
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. wax — for sculpting

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