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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. club — for golf
  3. cue — a hint
  4. last — final
  5. cue — for pool
  6. last — finally
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — a group
  9. kid — child
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — to go on
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a signal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. kid — to tease
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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