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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. game — a match
  8. firm — decided
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — a group
  12. bore — to tire
  13. club — for dancing
  14. firm — steady
  15. game — wild animals
  16. squash — to crush
  17. firm — a company
  18. shower — rain
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. bore — to drill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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