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: court · stock · club · sharp · pass · branch · fan · chest

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — shares
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. court — of law
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chest — a box
  21. court — of a king
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chest — of your body

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