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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. last — to go on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — farmland
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. deal — to handle
  15. suit — to fit
  16. field — a subject
  17. last — final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — finally
  24. suit — clothes

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