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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. club — a group
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. court — of law
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — a measure
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of a king
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. court — for sport
  23. kid — child
  24. foot — part of the body

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