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 120 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: club · file · race · calf · press · court · pop · saw

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. press — to push
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. file — a tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. race — humankind
  10. club — for golf
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — for dancing
  13. press — a publisher
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. race — a contest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of law
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. club — a group
  21. pop — to visit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — the tool

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