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: charge · row · branch · rush · stick · club · squash · bat

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. charge — a price
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. charge — in control
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. row — a line
  13. club — for golf
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. club — a group
  16. bat — the animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. branch — of a bank

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