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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. present — the time now
  4. club — a group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — a break
  8. present — a gift
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fall — the season
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. present — there
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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