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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. track — a song
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. track — to keep track
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. track — a path
  19. club — a group
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a leader
  23. scale — in music
  24. foot — 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