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

Word bank: swing · degree · vault · race · ground · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. ground — crushed
  3. degree — from a university
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — a position
  6. vault — a safe
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ground — the earth
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for dancing
  13. swing — music
  14. club — for golf
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. swing — in golf

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