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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. club — a group
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bound — certain
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bound — tied together
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — to crush
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. club — for golf
  24. squash — the vegetable

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