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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — a phone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. can — to be able to
  10. row — a line
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. net — for catching
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. net — after costs

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