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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — a skill
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — a list
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. club — for golf
  14. press — newspapers
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — low music
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. roll — a cake
  20. game — wild animals
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. club — for dancing

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