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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bass — low music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — letters
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — magic
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. plane — a tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spell — a short time

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