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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — in control
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mug — a face
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. club — for dancing
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — a group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a match
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — a price
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — the season

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