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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. game — wild animals
  4. staff — employees
  5. fine — all right
  6. kick — in football
  7. spell — letters
  8. branch — a division
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — high quality
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. club — for golf
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. staff — a stick
  24. club — a group

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