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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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