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 · staff · band · deal · prune · sharp · scale · pitch

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. band — a music group
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — for golf
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. sharp — clever
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pitch — completely
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. club — a group
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — a stick
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a rubber band

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