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: drill · club · sharp · ground · content · chair · mouse · snap

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. drill — the tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. club — for golf
  12. ground — crushed
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. content — the amount
  16. drill — army training
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — a position
  19. club — a group
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ground — the earth
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mouse — the animal

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