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: pound · date · clip · fan · club · fork · nail · pit

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. clip — for paper
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. club — a group
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pit — a hole
  18. clip — to cut
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fork — in a road
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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