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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — the amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spring — of water
  14. drill — army training
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for golf
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — happy
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — music

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