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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. scale — in music
  3. hand — help
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a word
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. root — the cause
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to drill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. scale — size or range
  18. perch — the fish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bore — to tire

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