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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a document
  11. stem — to come from
  12. key — in music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. last — final
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — music
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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