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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — a partner
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a great time
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — a friend
  16. land — to come down
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. band — a ring
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wake — a trail

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