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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. club — for dancing
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pop — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — an amount
  14. face — to confront
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — a group
  18. pop — soda
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — finally

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