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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ground — a position
  5. club — for golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spell — magic
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — to get on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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