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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. key — in music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bark — to shout
  12. game — a match
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kid — child
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — a group
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to confront
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — of a tree

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