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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. march — the month
  3. club — for golf
  4. march — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — a country
  8. roll — a list
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stem — to come from
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. tear — from crying
  19. land — ground
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. land — to come down
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tear — from crying

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