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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. present — a gift
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — there
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — for dancing
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. club — a group
  17. present — the time now
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. net — after costs

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