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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pop — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — soda
  14. mine — for digging
  15. net — in sport
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pop — to visit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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