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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rock — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — after costs
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — all right
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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