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
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple Β· clip Β· game Β· content Β· club Β· wake

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple β€” a place of worship
  2. game β€” wild animals
  3. game β€” a match
  4. wake β€” before a funeral
  5. wake β€” to stop sleeping
  6. clip β€” a video
  7. temple β€” a place of worship
  8. game β€” a kind of play
  9. club β€” for dancing
  10. club β€” for golf
  11. content β€” the amount
  12. clip β€” to cut
  13. club β€” a group
  14. temple β€” side of the head
  15. clip β€” for paper
  16. content β€” happy
  17. content β€” videos and posts
  18. wake β€” a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those 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