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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. content — happy
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — rain
  13. swing — to play on
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — a box
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. club — for dancing
  21. swing — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. club — a group

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