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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — to tease
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spell — letters
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — the season
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pass — to spend time

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