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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a face
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bass — low music
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — to rob
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — a cup
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. land — to come down

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