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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ground — the earth
  8. spring — the season
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ground — a position
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of law
  20. game — a match
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. court — of a king
  24. ground — crushed

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