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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pound — a weight
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — a lid
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for golf
  16. rash — a series
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cap — a hat
  21. club — a group
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. content — the amount

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