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: hand · band · spell · racket · club · nail · bat · stick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spell — magic
  4. band — a music group
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. club — for dancing
  8. band — a ring
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — help
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bat — the animal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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