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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — electric
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mate — to breed
  14. key — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. mate — a friend
  17. club — for golf
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — a face

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