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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tube — a container
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — a line
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. scale — for weighing

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