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: calf · club · squash · scale · mine · hand · present · wound

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — in cards
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — help
  24. present — there

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