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 · dip · date · kid · bat · track · ground · key

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ground — the earth
  3. club — a group
  4. ground — a position
  5. club — for golf
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — for a lock
  15. club — for dancing
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. key — in music
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — child

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