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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a ring
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. field — for sport
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — a position
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — wild animals
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ground — the earth
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — a subject
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. band — a music group
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — an explosive

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