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: plane · track · can · chip · club · wound · pitcher · kid

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — a path
  11. kid — child
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chip — for betting
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. chip — to eat
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. can — a tin
  23. plane — a tool
  24. track — a song

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