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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. game — wild animals
  3. club — for golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — for betting
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — finally
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. snap — to click
  16. last — final
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the fish
  24. game — a match

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