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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — help
  3. pound — a weight
  4. court — of law
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mine — for digging
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. club — a group
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. club — for golf
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of a king

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