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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rule — a law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. field — for sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — the amount
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — a subject
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. club — a group
  23. rule — government
  24. content — happy

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