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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. shower — to wash
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — in a race
  6. swing — to play on
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — to keep track
  12. shower — rain
  13. game — wild animals
  14. track — a song
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. club — a group
  18. track — a path
  19. pit — a hole
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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