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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — what's left
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. craft — a skill
  8. field — for sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — boats
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rest — a break
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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