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: bass · date · mine · court · press · club · pitch · bore

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. press — to push
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — to tire
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bass — low music
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — completely
  23. club — a group
  24. press — a publisher

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