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: stem · straw · racket · club · ball · tube · clip · snap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for golf
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — to come from
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. clip — a video
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — a container
  23. clip — to cut
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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