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: press · cap · club · swing · sharp · wound · rush · game

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. press — a publisher
  6. club — a group
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — newspapers
  11. swing — music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. club — for golf
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. swing — to play on
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a lid
  24. sharp — exactly

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