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 120 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: scale · race · branch · club · bowl · sharp · staff · wound

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — clever
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. club — for dancing
  15. race — the arms race
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bowl — a dish

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