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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. last — final
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — finally
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. file — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. last — to go on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. file — a document
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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