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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — a skill
  20. tube — a container
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — of law

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