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 · stick · roll · rest · pound · fan · fork · cold

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. roll — a list
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — for dancing

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