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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fork — in a road
  3. scale — in music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for dancing
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — a group
  13. clip — for paper
  14. present — a gift
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — a video
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. present — there

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