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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a line of people
  5. club — a group
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — to play on
  8. file — a tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — a container
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — the time now
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. kid — to tease
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. file — a document

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