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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — for dancing
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — of the year
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a match
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — a group
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. season — in sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. club — for golf
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. field — farmland
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — animal skin

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