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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — music
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — a match
  8. spring — of water
  9. chip — for betting
  10. current — happening now
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — the season
  16. chip — to eat
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — wild animals
  20. swing — in golf
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. club — a group
  23. current — of water
  24. leaves — of a tree

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