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: club · snap · bat · mouse · ball · root · pound · rock

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — a group
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. club — for dancing

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