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: shower · wave · snap · racket · club · cold · bank · pitch

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. club — a group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to click
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — of a river
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. shower — rain

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