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 · can · game · fork · mark · shower · swing · cold

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. can — to be able to
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. club — for golf
  11. cold — an illness
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cold — not warm

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