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

Word bank: jam · stem · club · file · bat · field · kid · game

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. club — for dancing
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — to tease
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. club — for golf
  16. stem — to come from
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — a group
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — child
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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