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: deal · club · ground · bark · wind · pop · band · squash

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. club — for golf
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pop — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — soda
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ground — a position
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ground — crushed
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a ring
  20. club — a group
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a music group

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