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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. land — a country
  3. present — a gift
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. object — to protest
  8. land — ground
  9. present — there
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. hand — help
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chair — a leader
  21. land — to come down
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hand — part of the body

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