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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. court — of law
  4. plane — a tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. court — for sport
  10. present — there
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. season — in sport
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — a subject
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — of the year
  19. craft — a skill
  20. club — for golf
  21. present — the time now
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. court — of a king

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