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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. perch — for a bird

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