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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. club — for golf
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. staff — a stick
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pop — 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