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: mouse · club · bat · temple · roll · scale · pound · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pound — a weight
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. club — a group
  18. cue — a signal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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